Friday, 28 August 2015

latest loves #1

Hellooooo! I'm guessing you'll have already noticed that things are looking a bit (OK, a lot!) different around here - the Owl and the Accordion has only gone and had a makeover! I started this blog waaaaay back in 2011, when I had little to no web experience, one of the most basic cameras on the market and was half-heartedly buying and selling vintage at local fairs and online. Four years on, my interests have changed, my technical skills have improved and the vintage business is no more (the buying went well, but it turned out I wasn't so good at the selling...), so I decided that it was time to bring the design up to date. The template is by the lovely people at Pipdig, who couldn't have been more helpful - if you're looking for web design or blog templates, do check them out!

To go with the new layout, I've also got a few new regular features that'll be making an appearance; today is the first in the 'latest loves' series - these posts are going to be full of anything I've read, heard, seen, bought, eaten, drunk, rubbed on my face and slathered on my hair, and then fallen in love with.

(From top left)
If you follow along on Instagram, you'll have seen a picure of this H&M scarf on the end of our bed - I love the pattern, and also that it's absolutely massive, so doubles quite happily as a blanket.

I've been trying to tear myself away from the laptop earlier in the evenings, so I can get a few early nights with some tea and magazines. I've really been enjoying the Jasmine silver needle from the folks at Jing Tea - the little individual infuser is idea for taking to bed, as it reduces the risk of a big old mess!

I've been watching a few YouTube videos on makeup and skincare (A Model Recommends and Caroline Hirons are my favourites), and learned how important it is to cleanse and tone properly - I'm already a big fan of Lush, so I picked up this Ultrabland cleanser about a week ago, and the difference is already amazing. My skin feels softer, looks brighter and seems loads clearer - I'm also using Micellar Water from L'oreal, the Lush Eau Roma Toner Water and a Botanics Rosehip Brightening Nightcream, and so far, so good.

I'm a big fan of cotton tote bags, so when I saw this one on someone's Instagram feed, I immediately snapped it up. It's from the 'Books are My Bag' shop online, which is a great website dedicated to promoting independent bookshops and getting involved with reading. Not really something I need encouragement with!

I've been getting stuck into a few books lately as well; I saw the 'How to Style Your Brand' book on Hannah's Instagram feed, and it looked so good that I went out and bought my own copy. It's such a good resource if you're thinking of starting, or have already started your own business; not only is there loads of great advice and content, the pictures are really inspiring as well. My non-work related book of the moment is the brilliant 'Women in Clothes' - I got my copy on Kindle for iPad, as it's pretty pricey to buy, but I'm enjoying it so much that I'm tempted to buy a hard copy!